Experience Life in the Ice Age

Seattle – 12,000 years ago residents of the Puget Sound lived in the coldest temperatures the region has ever known. What was their life like? How did they survive in this Ice Age?

On Sun., Oct. 18 from 10 am to 4 pm, Burke Museum archaeologists and other specialists will share their knowledge and showcase artifacts that reveal clues about life during the last Ice Age. Would you survive in the Ice Age? Test your skills! Try the ancient practice of attaching a spear point to a shaft, known as hafting. Discover ancient hunting tools, such as the "atlatl," and see them in action. Touch fossils of giant animals who shared the earth with people during a time when the environment was radically different.

Guest speakers throughout the day will shed light on how archaeologists and others understand the last Ice Age:

11 am Dr. Ben MarwickReel versus Real: Prehistoric Archaeology and Ice Age Movies
Ben Marwick, assistant professor of archaeology at the UW, gives an overview of what Hollywood gets wrong (and right!) about life in prehistoric times. Marwick will discuss the recent Ice Age animated film series and show film clips from a range of Hollywood blockbusters.

12:30 pm Roger FernandesStories from Then and Now
Storyteller and member of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe Roger Fernandes will share stories from the first peoples of Puget Sound and compare phenomena mentioned in the stories with current scientific observations.

2 pm Dr. Donald GraysonLarge Mammal Extinctions in the Ice Age
Around 20,000 years ago North America was home to herds of mammoth, mastodon, and other large mammals. By 10,000 years ago, these animals were gone. UW anthropology professor Dr. Donald Grayson will introduce some of the amazing animals that roamed North America during the last Ice Age and discuss current theories on what or who caused this mass extinction.